U.S. Supreme Court

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 3, 2015

Supreme Court will hear case King v Burwell, which challenges Affordable Care Act provision that gives subsidies to people living in states that did not establish their own health care exchanges; case hinges on timing of discovery by South Carolina lawyer Thomas M Christina of phrase 'established by the state' that suggests residents of states where federal government exchanges are run are ineligible for subsidies; ruling for plaintiffs could result in loss of coverage for more than six million Americans. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

Op-Ed article by Prof Nicholas Bagley assesses upcoming Supreme Court case that will determine whether the federal government has the right under Affordable Care Act to help pay insurance premiums for people anywhere in the United States; notes plaintiffs contend government can only help people residing in states that have established insurance exchanges; argues court cannot ignore fact that 9.6 million people will lose their coverage should they rule in plaintiff's favor. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Supreme Court hears argument exploring religious sterotypes, employment discrimination and symbolism of Muslim head scarf, issuing from 2008 incident at Abercrombie & Fitch clothing store in Tulsa, Okla; Samantha Elauf was not hired by store because of her scarf, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued on her behalf. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Supreme Court throws out conviction of Florida fisherman John L Yates for tossing evidence, 72 undersize grouper, back into Gulf of Mexico in 2007 after receiving citation from a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer; ruling from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg determines fish are not tangible objects as defined by Sarbanes-Oxley Act, federal law aimed mostly at white-collar crime. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Supreme Court rules, 6-to-3, in case North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v Federal Trade Commission that state's dental board can be sued for driving teeth-whitening services out of business under antitrust laws. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Obama administration tells Congress it has no plan in place to help those affected if Supreme Court votes to cut off health insurance subsidies in several states, placing responsibility squarely on shoulders of Republican lawmakers. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Supreme Court does not seem inclined to second-guess denial of visa on national security grounds to Kanishka Berashk, Afghan husband of American woman Fauzia Din; State Dept said in 2009 that it had turned him down due to his involvement in terrorist activities. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Feb. 22, 2015

Conservatives and liberal Democrats alike are flooding Supreme Court with friend of the court legal briefs ahead of oral arguments in case King v Burwell, which is challenging payment of subsidies for health insurance in over 30 states in effort to overturn health care law; experts say briefs, which judges read carefully and may rely on, could influence outcome of case. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Some Navajo leaders are considering repealing 2005 tribal law prohibiting same-sex marriage, noting that if Supreme Court does rule in favor of legalization later this year, it will not apply to Navajo's sovereign nation; move is opposed by both Navajo traditionalists and other tribal citizens who feel that issues like drug abuse and depression are more of a priority. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Gail Collins Op-Ed column describes how Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the oldest member of the court and standard-bearer of its liberal wing, has developed massive popular fan base, particularly among young women; notes that her popularity has grown even as she has weathered frequent calls to retire. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Obama administration says 8.6 million people in 37 states have selected or renewed health plans through federal health insurance marketplace; Health and Human Services Sec Sylvia Mathews Burwell says it was not Congressional intent to deny premium subsidies, in form of tax credits, to Americans living in states that did not set up exchanges; comment may be message to Supreme Court, scheduled to hear case challenging subsidies in those states that use federal exchange. MORE

Feb. 18, 2015

Feb. 16, 2015

Editorial observes that request by exonerated men Earl Truvia and Gregory Bright to sue office of New Orleans district attorney Harry Connick could, if granted, correct 2011 Supreme Court ruling excusing prosecutors from liability in such cases; urges Supreme Court to give Truvia and Bright chance to prove their case and help ensure that human rights are respected in court. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Op-Ed article by policy experts Grace-Marie Turner and Diana Furchgott-Roth argues there are steps that Pres Obama could take to protect people's heath insurance coverage if petitioners win Supreme Court Case King v Burwell, which will block health insurance subsidies in 37 states; asserts both Republicans and Democrats must be ready for that outcome. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Court officials in some of Alabama's largest cities begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples but most of state's judges refuse to do so; in wake of Federal Judge Callie V S Granade's rulings legalizing same-sex marriage, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S Moore orders judges not to issue same-sex marriage licenses, escalating legal battle; adding to mix, United States Supreme Court says it will not block Granade's rulings. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Congressional Republicans are scrambling to create alternative to Pres Obama's Affordable Care Act, having realized that success in overturning law in Supreme Court will also leave them responsible for healthcare options of American citizens; some are also blaming Obama administration for not having alternative in place should they win in court. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Adam Liptak Sidebar column points out that federal appeals courts issue 88 percent of their decisions as 'unpublished,' meaning they set no precedent; says Supreme Court has long been leery of unpublished decisions because they strategically avoid review, and can create sort of lawlessness by not establishing precedent for other courts to follow. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Op-Ed column by assistant law Prof William Baude criticizes lack of transparency surrounding Supreme Court's orders docket, set of decisions including stays and injunctions that are conducted without oral argument or explanation; notes that obscurity of decisions is particularly galling in cases of capital punishment; calls on court to provide better written explanations and to reveal how individual justices vote on orders decisions. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

Emily Bazelon First column examines way Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts seems to have kept his own legacy and standing of court in mind during his tenure, and how that may affect upcoming ruling on same-sex marriage; suggests Roberts has vested interest in having court appear above partisanship, as it allows him to more easily accomplish long-term goal of moving court in more conservative direction. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Republican legislators in several states are proposing bills that would prevent issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, even as federal courts declare same-sex marriage bans to be unconstitutional; introduction of state bills, which are unlikely to pass, hint at larger battle that may continue regardless of whether Supreme Court eventually decides that same-sex marriage should be legal nationwide. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Oklahoma officials ask Supreme Court to delay execution of three death row inmates until court decides on constitutionality of state's lethal injection method; critics say some states executing prisoners are using drugs that cause intense suffering. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Editorial, citing Supreme Court lawsuit regarding Oklahoma's use of deadly drugs in executions, derides ongoing debate about how to conduct lethal injections with least amount of pain; holds capital punishment is an inherently savage and barbaric practice, and that lethal injection is merely an attempt to hide brutality behind a sheen of civility. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Jan. 26, 2015

Supreme Court Memo; Supreme Court's decision to hear challenge to method of execution for Charles F Warner once again focuses attention on process by which court hears such cases; while court requires only four votes to hear a case, it requires five to stay execution and Warner had been executed in Oklahoma eight days prior. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Case of lesbian couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, who have filed federal lawsuit challenging Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage, has become central to Supreme Court's anticipated decision on whether all 50 states must allow gays and lesbians to marry. MORE

Jan. 24, 2015

Supreme Court will hear case challenging constitutionality of Oklahoma's choice of lethal injection drugs, issue thrust into national spotlight following botched execution in April 2014 of condemned inmate Clayton D Lockett; case will provide high court's first assessment of lethal injections at time when customary drugs have become scarce and states are turning to new combinations while refusing to disclose sources of lethal chemicals. MORE

Jan. 24, 2015

Ron Lieber Your Money column highlights circumstances of financial planner Brian Thompson and his husband Benjamin Rogers in assessing degree to which legalized same-sex marriage will have financial implications; notes that if Supreme Court strikes down bans on gay marriage issued by states, many gay couples will find themselves tackling financial questions they have not thought about. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Supreme Court, in 7-2 decision, rules dismissal of air marshal Robert J MacLean was unlawful, saying he was covered by law protecting whistle-blowers; MacLean told MSNBC reporter air marshals would not be on some important flights in order to save money at Transportation Security Administration. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Supreme Court justices are disrupted during housing discrimination case by protesters on fifth anniversary of Citizens United ruling, which permits unlimited political spending by unions and corporations; case targeted by protesters centers on scope of Fair Housing Act. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Editorial contends Supreme Court, in considering Fair Housing Act case over tax credits for low-income housing in Dallas, should uphold appellate courts interpretation of law; says by doing so it shows bigger appreciation of stubborn and long-term effects of racial discrimination. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Supreme Court justices reflect on power and dignity of judiciary while hearing arguments in Florida case on whether state can prohibit judicial candidates from personally asking for campaign contributions. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Supreme Court rules unanimously that correction officials in Arkansas violated religious rights of Muslim prisoners by forbidding them from growing beards; case relates to Gregory H Holt, also known as Abdul Maalik Muhammad, serving life sentence for burglary and domestic violence, who sought to grow half-inch beard. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Supreme Court rules that Teva Pharmaceutical Industries could continue to benefit from patent protection from its multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone, sending case back to federal appeals court for revaluation; decision deals blow to generic competitors. MORE

Jan. 20, 2015

Adam Liptak Sidebar column points out Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, with his acerbic tongue and cutting writing style, is most sarcastic member of court by far; notes University of California, Irvine, Prof Richard L Hasen developed sarcasm index with Scalia scoring 2.78, and next justice rating only 0.43. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Many Republicans feel that although Supreme Court will likely decide in favor of same-sex marriage, ruling will give them some political relief by making their unpopular opinions on matter moot; although issue is unlikely to go away completely, it will not be major point of debate in 2016 presidential primaries. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Supreme Court will hear case involving First Amendment challenge to state rules banning judicial candidates from directly asking for money for their election campaigns; currently, 30 of 39 states with judicial elections ban this practice in effort to avoid possible conflict of interest; though most American legal groups support ban, many lower court judges say these types of requests are not more likely to lead to corruption. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

News Analysis; Supreme Court makes unusual move in agreeing to hear four same-sex marriage cases by rephrasing questions in petitions; some see housekeeping in court's language, but others sense subtle shift of emphasis, away from rights of people to get married and toward due process and equal protection obligations that 14th Amendment imposes on states. MORE

Jan. 17, 2015

Supreme Court agrees to hear cases brought by 15 same-sex couples in four states challenging states' bans on same-sex marriages; court is positioned to fully address question of whether same-sex marriage is fundamental right before its term ends in June, further emphasizing how pace of change on issue nationwide is unparalleled in history of United States. MORE

Jan. 17, 2015

Editorial urges Supreme Court, which is for second time considering constitutionality of same-sex marriage, to legalize such marriages for good; contends that no new, plausible arguments in favor of either side of debate have emerged for years; holds that majority of Americans favor same-sex marriage, and that court should take opportunity to end exclusion and inequality of gays and lesbians in United States. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Supreme Court rules unanimously that bank robbers who force others to accompany them, even for short distance, are subject to mandatory 10-year sentences; decision concerns case of North Carolina man who entered home of woman after fleeing botched robbery attempt and forced her to move from room to room; woman suffered fatal heart attack. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Supreme Court seems to be seeking moderate position in case that will decide how far Equal Employment Opportunity Commission must go to settle cases out of court before filing lawsuits; Commission has argued courts should have almost no role in second-guessing its efforts to settle cases. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Most Supreme Court justices appear to be uneasy with Gilbert, Ariz, ordinance putting varying restrictions on political, religious and directional signs; ordinance allows looser restrictions on political and ideological signs than on religious signs, and local church is challenging it on First Amendment grounds. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Panel of judges in federal appeals court in New Orleans hears arguments over strict abortion clinic rules that could force closure of over half of 20 or so remaining abortion clinics in Texas; case, along with others in other states, could end up before Supreme Court in year or two; more than half of states have passed such laws as anti-abortion movement refines way around Roe v Wade. MORE

Jan. 7, 2015

Editorial welcomes news that Florida has joined 35 other states in allowing same-sex couples to marry, which means that more than 70 percent of United States live in jurisdictions where it is now legal; notes that trend may help persuade Supreme Court justices to review cases from one of five states where judges have banned practice and make a decision that would legalize these unions nationally. MORE

Jan. 6, 2015

Adam Liptak Sidebar column; Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan published 1996 article when she was law professor about court's approach to First Amendment, and it has been cited recently in several cases; latest Supreme Court case citing it concerns ordinance in Gilbert, Ariz, that treats church's signs differently from campaign signs. MORE

Jan. 1, 2015

Supreme Court Chief Justice John G Roberts Jr, in his annual year-end report on state of federal judiciary, announces that court will make briefs and other filings available electronically, and that changes could come as early as 2016. MORE

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A vigorous argument before the Supreme Court explored religious stereotypes, employment discrimination and the symbolism of the Muslim head scarf, all arising from an encounter at a clothing store in Tulsa, Okla.